Household hand mop



May 17, 1960 s. E. COLEMAN 2,936,471

HOUSEHOLD HAND MOP Filed April 19, 1957 INVENTOR. SUS AN E. COLEMAN ATTO R N EY United States Patent HQUSEHOLD HAND MOP Susan E. Coleman, Santa Rosa, Calif.

Application April 19, 1957, Serial No. 653,888

3 Claims. (Cl. 15-136) My present invention comprises a household hand mop, which may be used for various purposes such as sembbing toilet bowls or hard to get at places.

The principal object of the invention is to produce an improved fountaintype household hand mop which is characterized by a novel handle and means for securing a fluid supply member thereto so that the latter constitutes, in service, a functionally integral part of said handle.

Another object is to produce a household hand mop of the class indicated which includes novel means for separably securing a fluid-receiving sponge or the like in operative position.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the description of the illustrated embodiment proceeds, it being understood that the latter may be variously modified within the spirit and scope of the subject matter claimed hereinafter.

In the drawing accompanying the specifications,

Fig. 1 is a partial side elevation of the device, portions of which are broken oif and other portions being shown in cross-sections to more clearly illustrate the invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is another cross-section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. l, the dotted lines indicating the expanded position of the fluid supply element of the handle portion.

The device comprises a left-hand jaw indicated at 10, and the opposed right-hand jaw 13.

The right-hand jaw 13 is pivoted, as at :14, to the lateral boss-like inner end enlargement 14a of the left-hand jaw 10. Enlargement 14a may also be considered as the inner end of the rigid loop-form handle 15.

This right-hand portion 13 may be swung to the right to separate the jaws for the purpose of mounting a sponge member 19 therebetween, as illustrated in Fig. 2.

The right-hand jaw 13, being influenced by a flat spring 20, will maintain the jaws and 13, in the closed position shown in Figs. 1 and 2. It is to be noted that the jaws 10, 13 have inwardly extending spur-like protuberances 1 1, 12, respectively, for engagement with sponge 19 as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2.

The bulb 16, is held in place by engagement of the rigid loop-form handle portion 15 in surface grooves 10a, formed in the sides of bulb member 16.

Bulb 16 is fitted with check valves 17 and 18 at its bottom and top, respectively (see Fig. 1), the check valve 17 being an inlet valve and check valve 18 an outlet valve, said valves 17 and 18 operating'to pass liquid in one direction. The outlet valve 18 seats, as shown, in the inlet end of a passage 11a which extends through boss-like enlargement 14a, and into the hollow jaw 10.

When the bulb 16 is squeezed, as shown in full lines in Fig. 3 the valve 18 is opened while valve 17 remains closed and liquid in the'bulb is forced into the channel 11a, but when the bulb 16 is released valve 18 is closed and a fresh supply of liquid is drawn thereinto through 2,936,471 Patented May 17, 1960 2 the valve 17 by suction filling the bulb 16 with fresh liquid.

The compression of the bulb :16 forces liquid out through the channel 11a in member 10, and out through the communicating hollow spur-like protuberances '11 into the rubber sponge 19, the spur-like protuberances 12 of jaw 13 being solid as shown in Fig. 2.

This procedure of dipping the bulb 16 into a dish or container holding the cleaning fluid and compressing the bulb 16 to draw such liquid into the bulb 16 and force it into the sponge 19 is repeated as often as the sponge 19 requires fresh liquid.

When a sponge 19 is to be secured to jaws 10, 13, the spurs 11 of jaw 10 are first embedded therein inwardly of one end thereof, as will be understood from Figs. 1 and 2. Then while jaw 13 is held outwardly against the action of spring 20 the sponge 19 is passed about the outer portions of both jaws 10, 13 and engaged with the spurs 12 of jaw 13. Now jaw 13 is released to draw opposed end portions of the sponge closer together to the operative position shown in Figs. 1 and 2. When the sponge 19 is to be removed, this operation is facilitated by moving jaw 13 outwardly to provide increased clearance between the jaws so as to facilitate disengagement of the sponge from the spurs 12 of jaw 13.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new is:

1. In an improved household hand mop or the like, an elongated loop-form handle, a pair of stifi and spacedly opposed jaw members providing inner ends carried by one end of said handle, opposed series of laterally extending sponge or other absorbent member-retaining protuberances'carried by the respective jaw members,

one of said jaw members being a functionally integral extension of said handle end, means pivoting the inner end of the second jaw member to said handle end for movement toward and away from the first jaw member, spring means carried by said handle and operatively engaging the second jaw member to normally urge it toward the first jaw member, said first jaw member being hollow and its protuberances having outlet apertures therein, the first mentioned jaw member having a fluid inlet opening thereinto through said end of the loopform handle, a compressible fluid supply member removably insertable in said loop-form handle and having a valve controlled dischargejoutlet seated in the fluid inlet of said first mentioned jaw member, and each side of said fluid supply member having a surface groove extending rearwardly from said supply member outlet and seating opposed portions of said loop-form handle.

2. The structure of claim 1, and said second mentioned jaw member actuating spring means comprising a leaf spring element secured at its rear end to the exterior of said handle and with its forward end exteriorly overlying said second mentioned jaw member.

3. The structure of claim 1, and a boss-like enlargement at the said end of said loop-form handle and carrying said first mentioned jaw member and leaf spring element, and said fluid inlet to said first mentioned jaw member extending through said boss-like enlargement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 748,367 Haight Dec. 29, 1903 803,769 Loeber Nov. 7, 1905 849,991 Forrest Apr. 9, 1907 1,623,004 Greenberg Mar. 29, 1927 1,801,118 Smith Apr. 14, 1931 2,522,617 Ijams Sept. 19, 1950 2,726,417 Rowser et a1, Dec. 13, 1955 

